by Alana Siegel
Helen bit her lip like she knew she had just rammed a sword through my heart. “I'm sorry, Liv, but Aunt Ev mentioned that Mr. Dimon didn't arrest Ms. Magos as soon as he suspected she was posing as a Meta agent, because he was searching for someone more dangerous. He was tracking down Prometheus.
“Maybe Justin was doing the same thing, using his time with you to squeeze you for information, with the hopes of finding out juicy details on Prometheus,” she concluded. I shook my head and tried to fight her words. It was too painful. I refused to believe that he was faking our relationship. Then again, the girl Derek had fallen for was feigning a relationship for Prometheus.
The truth was that I didn’t know everything about Justin. He didn’t take pride in being Gifted, but I thought that was because being Gifted made him different from everyone else. Maybe I was wrong.
How well did he know the Meta? Was that why he left after having dinner with my family and Lynn? She was the link to Prometheus that he was waiting for. Once he had all the pieces to the puzzle, he no longer needed me. Maybe Helen was right.
“He better have a good excuse for keeping so many secrets,” Helen finished for me. She could tell by the look on my face that I wasn’t completely dismissing her theory. She continued, “We'll find out, and you don't have to come with us.” My jaw dropped in shock, and I began vigorously shaking my head. Was she serious? I wasn’t going to sit this one out.
She didn’t stop explaining her detailed plan. “You are the person that Prometheus is searching for. If you stay here, we can get answers and keep you safe.” I was in disbelief. So this was what Jaime and Helen have been whispering about for the past two days. It was no wonder they purposely kept me out of the conversation.
“No, I will not let you walk into the line of fire for me while I sit at home twiddling my thumbs. Either we all go or no one goes,” I said, and it was my turn to be resolute. We stared at each other for a few seconds. Both of us refused to budge. Then she nodded her head and slipped out the door.
My shoulders slumped because it was the end to another argument. I washed my hands and stared at my face in the mirror. Was I as weak and helpless as she made me sound? Was I too busy being the damsel in distress to see things right in front of me? I didn’t think so, but we were going to Prometheus to find out.
As I exited the bathroom, an arm wrapped around my waist and pulled me close. My hands pressed against a muscular chest, and I struggled against strong arms. Did Prometheus’s crew find out we were coming? My mind raced to think of a way to escape.
Before I could scream for help, lips pressed against my own. They were warm and wonderful. I lost control and closed my eyes, letting the kiss dissolve my troubles. His arms relaxed, and my knees melted. It was Luca.
The bone crushing sound of Max's fist colliding with Luca's skull ended the embrace.
* * * *
Chapter Twenty-Three: Fight for It
“How many times do I have to tell you to stay away from her?” Max shouted furiously. His nose was only an inch away from Luca's. Luca kept his mouth shut, but stuck his chin out defiantly. I could see the red spot on the side of his cheek where Max hit him.
“What do we even know about you? We only met you two days ago. Maybe you’re part of Prometheus's crew?” Max’s patience had reached his limit. He needed a target to let out his pent-up frustration. His red glow was already a deep shade of maroon, and the air tingled with electricity. He lunged at Luca, but Helen jumped in between them, each of her hands held out to block them.
She sent Max her best “just-try-me” stare and said, “Come on, Luca has been nothing but kind to us.” She kept her voice level, but the meaning resonated loudly.
Thunder rolled through the sky. Max yelled, “I don't care!” He reached around Helen to grab Luca and missed as he ducked out of the way.
Helen stepped closer to Max and attempted to reason with him. “Luca is on our side. He helped us train. Luca and Aunt Ev opened their house to us. What more proof do you want?” She asked. Max was getting to the point of no return in controlling his Gift. The black sky turned a murky grey from the storm clouds rolling in.
“How can we trust any of them? They didn’t fight for your life when Prometheus’s crew tried to use you as a bribe. How can we even trust Aunt Ev for that matter? She was friends with Prometheus!” Max shouted. At that, both Luca and Jaime lunged forward.
The smell of lavender filled my nostrils. Max’s thoughtless argument insulted Aunt Ev, and it struck a chord with Jaime and turned her Gift on high. I had never seen her so animated about a fight. She had her palms against Max's chest before Luca took another step. With unbelievable strength she pushed him. He lifted off the ground and stumbled backwards ten feet.
A blurry vision of Jaime passed by with immense speed. She leapt through the air and landed on top of him. They rolled along the ground. Jaime was getting shots in before Max could defend himself.
I was in shock. My best friends were at each other's throat, and for what? To pick a fight? To push someone's buttons? We were a family. If we couldn't trust each other, who could we trust?
Fueled by anger and fear, I pointed at the two of them with the finger that wore Justin's Gifted mood ring. It was a dark red like the color of fresh blood. The power from my Gift spread through my body instantly. The wind blew through my hair and the smell of a thousand roses billowed out like a protective shield.
“Stop!” I screamed at the top of my lungs. I threw my Gift at their tangled bodies. The fist Jaime threw didn't pack quite as much punch, and the smell of lavender faded. I could see the exact moment it hit Max since his eyes glazed over and his red hue dulled. Their limbs went limp, and Jaime rolled off of Max. They both lay on their backs with their chests heaving from the exertion.
“Why are we fighting? We haven't even reached the enemy yet,” I yelled. I was exasperated.
I turned to Max who had propped himself up on his elbows to look at me. “I don't have any proof that Luca is on our side except what I feel in my gut. And you know what, neither do you,” I said. Max closed his mouth and looked past me.
I turned in Helen's direction. “It is the same gut feeling that tells me Justin would never hurt me. So if you want to make unsubstantiated accusations, keep them to yourself.” Helen never liked the way Justin hid our relationship and she always believed he had his own secrets, but did she really think he was the enemy? Whether he was a Meta agent or not, he helped save her last year!
“I'm sick of the lies,” I emphasized for Max, “And I'm sick of the secrets,” I pointed to Jaime. “If you want to pretend that you’re only a part of the Gifted Program because you have a piece of jewelry and a Gift, be my guest. Personally, I'm more interested in your friendship,” I concluded.
I was lit with anger and overflowing with Gifted power. Everything was messed up. I needed to get away so I turned around and started running, without a plan or a direction. My eyes stung and my chest burned, but I didn’t stop.
My movements were erratic and before long, I tripped over a rock and fell to my knees. My legs were too weak to get up and keep going. I crawled to a flat surface, dropped onto the smooth rock, and let the earth pull me under.
The tears poured endlessly, and they distorted my vision. I didn't care. Justin went to Prometheus, and he no longer cared about me, if he ever cared at all. My friends were keeping secrets behind my back, and no one trusted each other. That was enough to bring on my first round of sobs. I doubled over trying to ease the slicing through my heart.
I rubbed my thumb along the gemstone of Justin's ring. It was mostly purple with bits of red. I used my shirt to wipe the tears. The shivering intensified, and pain ripped across my chest.
I heard footsteps behind me. I watched Chelsea's shoes appear next to mine and felt her warmth as she sat down next to me.
“I’m not sure if Justin is a Meta agent, and I don’t know if Prometheus has the answers to our questions, but there is one thing I do believ
e,” she said and turned to look at me. I wiped my cheeks and met her eyes.
“I believe we should love recklessly and fight for it,” she said and smiled at me. The corners of my mouth tipped up. It was the perfect advice and echoed what I felt.
I wanted to say something to her before I missed the chance. I wanted to tell her that I appreciated her honesty, for being on my side, and her attempts to protect me. Instead I said, “I wanted to thank you for voting for me as leader.” And looked at her expectantly.
“No need to thank me. Ninety-nine percent of the reason I voted was because women don’t self-promote their own talents enough. We need to be recognized as equals. The strength of your Gift is the perfect example,” she said.
“Oh. What's was the other one percent?” I asked, not sure I wanted to know the answer. The dull, orange lights from the cars that passed by lit up half of her face.
“One percent of me hoped that you would be vulnerable as the leader of our group,” she said, keeping her eyes level with mine. I gulped because it was hard to swallow her brutal honesty. There was one percent of her that wouldn’t mind if my shine wore out so that she wouldn’t feel invisible anymore.
“Right now we're all supporting actors in your romantic comedy. Can you blame me?” She threw her arm around my shoulders. “Don’t worry, I’m not mad that my ex-boyfriend still has feelings for you,” she said.
“EX-boyfriend?” I asked, incredulously. “Did I miss the screaming break-up fight?”
She shook her head. “No, all the previous times you watched us fight, it was because I wanted his attention. As soon as I found out that he risked everyone’s lives in the Gifted Program by telling his sister where we were, I decided it wasn’t worth it anymore,” she said. I was awed and motivated by her strength. She reached out for my hand, and my own strength felt renewed.
Back in the van with the music gently playing and the unknown in front of us, everyone started drifting to sleep. We had exhausted ourselves by fighting and the darkness made the van deceptively cozy, like we were on a field trip for school rather than a long drive to meet our enemy.
It was dark outside, but the inside of the van had a misty yellow glow to it. It wasn’t bright and intrusive. It was more like the glow of a night light. I felt like a tired child at bedtime, fighting my droopy eyelids.
When I heard Cliff snoring from the seat in front of me, I realized Derek was using his Gift to lull us to sleep. I was grateful that for a minute I could block out the anxiety of what lie ahead.
Luca threw his left arm across the seat cushion behind me, leaned his head against the headrest, and closed his eyes. I watched him for awhile. He looked beautiful, content, and wistful. His lips curved up like he was in the middle of a pleasant dream. I involuntarily smiled. It was easy to be happy around Luca.
I closed my own eyes and wished for sleep to pull me under. I desperately wanted to restart my clock, but instead, I fidgeted and squirmed in my seat. It must have been keeping Luca awake because I felt the hum of his Gift after a few minutes. He opened his eyes once and then quickly closed them when he caught me looking at him. The brilliant smile he always wore spread across his face.
He opened his arms and I shimmied in, laying my head against his broad chest. His warm arms closed around me. He was surrounding me in the satisfying and delightful vibes that exuded from his Gift. All other thoughts disappeared from my brain, and I fell asleep.
I dreamt of gardens full of the flowers from Aunt Ev’s house; roses, irises, dahlias, marigolds, and Gerbera daisies. They swayed with me in a light breeze as I carelessly danced through a meadow. It was the deepest sleep I had since we arrived in Salt Lake City.
I felt Luca brush his fingers along my arms, and it sent a tingle up my spine. My fuzzy brain said I should forget about Justin. Luca’s love for me was simple, and he would never hurt me the way Justin had. Why was I fighting something so easy?
I drifted in and out of a worry-free sleep. Luca’s fingers ran through my hair and his lips touched my temple. I could hear the alarm bells ringing in the back of my mind, but mixed with the purple haze, they seemed so far away. In the rear of the van, I felt like we were all alone, just me and Luca.
“There’s nothing to worry about here,” Luca whispered, his breath tickling my ear. I smiled even though I knew this tranquil world was artificial. Why should I worry if Luca could always bring me to this peaceful place?
He lifted my head from his chest, twisted in his seat until he was facing me, and gazed longingly in my eyes. “There is something I have to tell you before we get to Prometheus.” My brain was so foggy that I just nodded my head and closed my eyes.
He ran his hand down my cheek and said, “Olivia, it is important. Ev wanted me to tell you the story of Pyramus and Thisbe before we get to Prometheus.” Although his Gift was warm and welcoming, I fought through the cloud to pay attention.
“Ok, tell me, “ I said.
He bit his bottom lip and then began. “It starts with the very first Gifted families a long time ago. These descendants believed loyalty to their unique Gift was the highest honor. Over time, this loyalty turned into stubborn pride. In order to maintain this pride, they had to reproduce more of their own kind,” he began. He paused, thinking of another way to it make clear.
“The unspoken belief was that it was a sin to breed mixed families. They feared it would dilute their Gifts,” he explained.
“By knowing that part of the story, you can understand why it was tragic when a secret love affair between a Horus boy name Pyramus and an Elste girl named Thisbe was discovered. It was more than just a lifestyle decision that was frowned upon when not followed. It was a dishonor to the Gifted culture. It was the fire that ignited the Gifted War.” He raised his eyebrows to gauge my reaction.
“The Gifted War was caused by one relationship?” I asked. Then, I gasped. Horus and Elste, the families of Pryamus and Thisbe, made it through the fog in my brain.
He nodded and continued. “Rumors spread. All the Gifted families were pulled into the fight, taking sides with Elste or Horus. They looked for deceptive ways to undermine each other. They attacked the other families’ Gifted wonders in an attempt to be the superior family and gain complete domination.”
“Tsunamis and hurricanes were rampant. One by one, the wonders of the world fell – the Temple of Artemis, the Colossus of Rhodes, the Lighthouse of Alexandria – each assault diminished the power of the Gifted. All of the families were pulled into the fight, but Elste and Horus lost the most of their kind. That is one of the reasons they are so rare,” he explained.
“It was a tragedy of epic proportions. Thousands of young men were sent to battle to prove their family’s strength, including Pyramus,” Luca said. His forehead was creased with concentration.
He looked so distraught that I braced myself for what he was going to say next. “Thisbe waited anxiously for news about Pyramus, and finally she received word that he would complete the long journey home that night. She waited for him by a small garden. Happiness and relief filled her as she watched him approach a clearing ahead, except someone else was also lurking close by. Taken by surprise, one quick jab brought Pyramus to his knees. Thisbe ran to her lover, but it was too late. His blood was already spattered on the surrounding bush of flowers,” he whispered.
“The Elste girl vowed to show everyone how it felt to be heartbroken. She used her Gift, which was more powerful from having loved and lost, and she destroyed half the world with her sadness. Then, she died of grief,” Luca said, maintaining eye contact. I had to remind myself to breathe. Someone with the power to force everyone into depression sounded scary and eerily relatable.
“With the obliteration she caused, there were few men left to fight. The war was over, and the Meta was formed. The Gifted families scrounged up as much of their remaining Gifts as they could and saved it in pieces of jewelry. The Meta collected unclaimed Gifted jewelry and announced a new law: Elste girls were no longer allowe
d to receive a Gift,” he said.
“That’s why Aunt Ev tried to convince Prometheus not to give me an Elste necklace. It was dangerous and had been illegal for thousands of years,” I concluded, and Luca nodded his head. “But I thought Aunt Ev didn’t believe in the Meta’s laws?” I asked, thinking about her insistence that Luca and I fall in love, despite the Meta’s ban on marriage within the same Gifted family.
“She doesn’t believe in the laws created by the most recent Meta governance. Aunt Ev believes the new Meta and their rules will cause the extinction of the Gifted race. However, she is a faithful believer in the ancient laws created by the first leadership of the Meta,” Luca explained. I paused to think about this.
“Aunt Ev thinks Prometheus created another Thisbe? Why would he do that to me?" I complained.
Luca grabbed both of my hands in his own, and searched my eyes. “You don't need to see him, Olivia. Prometheus has done nothing but hurt you. We can protect the people we love without going to him,” he whispered.
“What were you hoping for by telling me that story, Luca?” I asked. His desperation was a red flag that he had an ulterior motive other than educating me on Elste history. He hung his head.
Without looking at me he said, “For a chance with you.” My eyes filled with tears. Aunt Ev wanted me to know the story because she was arming me with knowledge to fight Prometheus. Luca told me the story to prove my relationship with Justin had no future. The love between a Horus and an Elste was destined to fail. He was asking me to choose him instead.
“You love him?” He asked, looking at me expectantly. I didn’t know how to respond so I looked out the window at the cars passing on the road next to us. He reached over and grabbed my hand, intertwining our fingers, not accepting my silence as a no.
* * * *
Chapter Twenty-Four: Fearless
Throughout the ride, I felt the buzz of everyone's Gift build inside the van. Instead of being scared and trembling, the group was motivated. It all disappeared as the sun was rising, and we drove up to Prometheus’s castle in the middle of the desolate, dry desert. I stared at the heat lightning that pierced an orange and blue early morning sky and emphasized the otherworldly dwelling.